Minimally invasive surgical techniques such as endoscopies and laparoscopies are often preferred over traditional open surgeries because the recovery time, pain, and surgery-related complications are typically less with minimally invasive surgical techniques. Rather than cut open large portions of the body in order to access inner cavities, such as the peritoneal cavity, surgeons either rely on natural orifices of the body or create one or more small orifices in which surgical instruments can be inserted to allow surgeons to visualize and operate at the surgical site. Surgeons can then perform a variety of diagnostic procedures, such as visual inspection or removal of a tissue sample for biopsy, or treatment procedures, such as removal of a polyp or tumor or restructuring tissue.
Because of the rise in popularity of minimally invasive surgeries, there has been significant development with respect to the instruments used in such procedures. These instruments need to be suitable for precise placement of a working end at a desired surgical site to allow the surgeon to see the site and/or perform the necessary actions at such site. Oftentimes the instruments either themselves contain a device that allows the surgeon to see the site or else the instruments are used in conjunction with an instrument that can provide visual assistance. At least one of these types of devices, an endoscope, is typically configured with both a lens to visualize the surgical site and a channel through which instruments can be delivered to the surgical site for subsequent use. The instruments themselves can be used to engage and or treat tissue and other portions within the body in a number of different ways to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic effect.
Minimally invasive procedures normally require that the shaft of a device inserted into the body be flexible to navigate through and around various shapes within the anatomy while still allowing a working end of the device to be articulated to angularly orient the working end relative to the tissue. During an endoscopy, for example, it is often necessary to navigate a device in a variety of different directions before the device reaches its desired destination, which means it is desirable that any such device be flexible. However, it can be challenging and time-consuming to remotely control a working end of the device such that it can be directed through the varied, tight working spaces of the body to the desired location so that the desired procedures can be performed upon reaching the desired location. It can also be complicated to integrate controls for articulating the working end of the device because of the use of a flexible shaft and the size constraints of such an endoscopic instrument. Further, even when the device reaches its original desired destination, it is often the case that the surgeon will want to move the device during the course of the procedure, such as to make small placement adjustments for visualization purposes. It can thus be desirable for the working end of the device to be adjustable within the body as needed during a surgical procedure.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved devices and methods for controlling surgical devices used during surgical procedures.